Joseph Calleia
Joseph Calleia ( kə-LAY-ə; born Joseph Alexander Caesar Herstall Vincent Calleja, August 4, 1897 – October 31, 1975) was a Maltese-born American actor and singer on the stage and in films, radio and television. After serving in the British Transport Service during World War I, he travelled to the United States and began his career on the stage, initially in musical comedy, but later in original Broadway productions such as Broadway (1926), The Front Page (1928), The Last Mile (1930), and Grand Hotel (1930). Calleia became a star with the play Small Miracle (1934), his first real role as a villain, and he was put under contract by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Calleia excelled as the villain in Hollywood films, but he fought against typecasting and created a succession of darkly mysterious characters edged with humor in films such as Algiers (1938), Five Came Back (1939), Golden Boy (1939), The Glass Key (1942) and Gilda (1946). During World War II, Calleia led the Malta War Relief organization in the United States, and toured for the USO and the Hollywood Victory Committee. After the war, he continued to work steadily in motion pictures and television, and he starred in the 1948 London stage premiere of Arthur Miller's Tony Award-winning play All My Sons. Calleia's performance in Orson Welles's 1958 film Touch of Evil is regarded as one of the better in his career. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Rabat, Died October 31, 1975 (Sliema)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1926
Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, songwriter
Notes: Also listed as Joseph Spurin-Calleja or J. S. Calleja.
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | W142621 | 10-in. | 9/15/1926 | My heart is calling | Lewis James | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | songwriter | |
| OKeh | 80033 | 10-in. | 5/7/1926 | Adelai | Bruce Wallace | Male vocal solo, with instrumental quintet | composer | |
| Brunswick | E19525-E19528 | 10-in. | 6/10/1926 | Adelai | Allen McQuhae | Male vocal solo, with string quartet, tuba, piano, and bells | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Calleia, Joseph," accessed December 23, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104874.
Calleia, Joseph. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 23, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104874.
"Calleia, Joseph." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 23 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Calleia, Joseph, 1897-1975 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n85085828
Wikidata: Joseph Calleia - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1604757
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/12495719
Fast: http://id.worldcat.org/fast/1797703 - http://id.worldcat.org/fast/1797703
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